Do you have a daily routine? If so, what is the most important step?

As you have noticed by reading the comments below that each routine is uniquely different from the next. Some wake up early, some meditate, some workout, some read.

What I’m careful about when I read comments like these is for people who say you have to do it an exact way. There’s no such thing. We are completely different beings that respond differently to specific routines.

What I think is most important is that you develop enough self-awareness in yourself to know what makes you tick. Daily routines are only effective if they produce a positive outcome. The trend of waking up at 5:00 am because that’s what people are doing to only find yourself more irritable and tired at work negates the purpose of routines.

Here’s my professional advice:

1. Experiment. Everyone is looking for the next best daily routine. Experiment with different routines until you create your own unique daily routine. Understand that over time these change. Our bodies and minds adapt and get comfortable which is why it is important to audit these routines every quarter.

2. Give it time. There’s a bunch of theory about how long it takes to build a habit so I won’t get into that but spending a week on a new routine to assume it doesn’t work isn’t a wise strategy. Likewise, waking up at 5:00 am for a year to find out you are still as miserable as you were since starting this new routine is probably a sign you should try something different. This takes immense self-awareness to know the difference.

3. Less is more. The 50-step morning routine does more harm than good. In business, when we talk about bringing a new product or service to the market we use a strategy called the “minimal viable product” (MVP). What that means is how can we turn this idea into a service or product with the bare minimum in time, energy, and money and still be able to test the probability of success (aka proof of concept). The same should be done with your morning routine. What’s the least amount of routines you can use to produce the greatest possible outcome?

4. Why have a routine? I know many people building out their morning routine without any purpose. Their just doing it because it’s the cool thing to do. Ask yourself… “why do you think you need a morning routine in the first place?” This will lead you in the right direction from day one.

I really hope that helps!

If you want help structuring your routines please reach out to me for free on Clarity — On Demand Business Advice